How to stop snoring

Stop snoring - It could be detrimental to your sleep and your health. Snoring is the sound made when the airflow through your air passage is partially obstructed. Snoring is a sleep disorder can be an indication of a dangerous condition known as sleep apnea, when a person momentarily stops breathing. This can lead to increased risks of heart failure and stroke. Additionally, snoring is disruptive to the sleep of the people around you and may result in them becoming irritated and displeased with you. Snoring will not go away on it's own, the frequency and intensity will only increase as a person gets older. Because of the lack of oxygen your body gets, you may feel more fatigued and tired even after getting many hours of sleep.

So, how can you stop snoring? There are a few tips that you can use to reduce the severity and chances of you snoring.

Tip 1 - Sleep on your side instead of in a supine (lying on your back) position, where your tongue and jaw may obstruct your air passage because of gravity.

Tip 2 - Lose some weight. Overweight people are more likely to snore in their sleep.

Tip 3 - Elevate your head on a thicker pillow as this reduces the severity of snoring.

Tip 4 - Avoid alcohol and dairy products before you sleep.

Tip 5 - Do not take a large meal before you go to bed.

In conclusion, this sleep disorder can be treated with a little effort. I hope these tips will help you stop snoring. If you have any queries, feel free to leave a comment.

More tips to get better sleep

Last time, we showed you five ways to get better sleep. They were mostly focused on your activities before bedtime. Today, we will look at how you can improve the quality of your sleep by improving sleeping conditions in your bedroom.

Ideally, when we sleep, we want to rest and restore our bodies. The bedroom should be focused around that. Naturally, a better sleeping environment will result in a higher quality of sleep.

Here are 5 more tips on how to get better sleep by improving sleeping conditions:

Tip 1 - Make sure your bedroom is spacious and well aerated. I can't stress this enough, a cramped and stuffy bedroom is just not a good sleeping environment. If you cannot help but have a small bedroom, then tidy it regularly and pack unneeded things away to free up as much space as possible.



Tip 2 - Maintain a constant temperature while you sleep. This may seem new to many of you but it works wonders. The body is very sensitive to temperature changes, and a few degrees could mean the difference between average and good sleep. I've found that the optimum temperature for sleeping is around 24 degrees Celsius, anything above 27 degrees Celsius is too warm for comfort while anything below 22 degrees Celsius may give you a chill. Remember that the body metabolism slows during sleep so just because you're okay now doesn't mean you won't catch a cold when you sleep.

Tip 3 - Make your bed. This may sound trivial, but it's a good habit to have. Just after you wake up, tidy your bed by dusting the sheets, then tightening them until taut. Fluff up your pillow and place it neatly. Not only does this give your room a nicer look, a smooth bed is nice to lie on. No one likes sleeping on crumpled and crinkled sheets with little folds all over. Dusting your bed will clear out any particles that may have accumulated which may cause allergies.

Tip 4 - Make sure your mattress is good. You may be tempted to save money on your bed but trust me, this is one thing that's not worth it. Good rest is more valuable than your money. Having good rest can make you more productive and let you make more money. Don't scrimp on this one. For some tips, check out this guide to choosing a mattress.

Tip 5 - Noise and light pollution. These are culprits that make sleeping a chore. It doesn't have to be this way. If your surrounding environment is very noisy even at night, ask your family/friends/neighbors to turn down the volume. If that is not possible, you might want to invest in a noise-proof door. Recording studios use these kind of padded doors which can absorb ambient noise from the outside and give you a quiet and peaceful rest. Similarly, get curtains to cover your windows so you won't have to face the glaring lights from some guy's midnight party.

These tips should help you get a better sleep. If you have any feedback or questions, once again I urge you to leave a comment.

Effects of Sleeping Late

Well this may seem a little hypocritical but recently i've been staying up late. Of course I can justify that I can, in fact, afford to sleep later because I don't need to get up early (for your information, i'm on a holiday break now). Consequently, I've been staying awake until 2am in the morning, then I sleep for around 8 hours and wake up at 10am. I do this intentionally, not because I cannot sleep but because I'm busy on the computer. (If you are having difficulty falling asleep, you might want to take a look at this article on how to fall asleep quickly)

Anyway, I noticed a few peculiar things that I'd like to share. For one, even though I was getting the same amount of sleep, I felt more tired than I normally did. I attribute this to the decreasing quality of sleep as the day progresses, mainly because the ambient noise and light levels are significantly higher in the morning. In fact, I noticed that towards the end of my sleep (8am onwards) I constantly slip in and out of light sleep. I would awaken groggily and feel extremely drowzy and fall asleep a few minutes later only to awaken again within the hour.

I think that this could be aggravated by the fact that the latter part of our sleep is deep sleep, where body regeneration takes place. Having this interrupted would definitely affect our energy levels.

In conclusion, sleeping late could result in a poorer quality of sleep, as I have experienced myself. Maybe it would be wiser to just tuck in and leave tomorrow's work and worries for tomorrow, instead of staying up and risking your well being.

How to take a power nap

If you've been having insufficient sleep for a few days, you might be starting to feel its debilitating effects. When you desperately need to re-energize yourself, taking a power nap might be a good idea.

A power nap is a short nap that spans from 20 to 30 minutes. It can be used in addition to normal sleep to improve alertness, or to recover from the lack of sleep. As the nap is short, one does not feel the usual lethargy caused by sleep inertia after waking up. A power nap is an efficient way to get some rest and can even be used in a busy workplace during a lunch break.

Power naps give you many of the benefits of normal sleep while only taking a fraction of the time needed.

How to take a power nap:

1. An hour before you nap, do not take caffeine and avoid heavy meals.
2. Find a good, warm, quiet spot where you won't be disturbed for half an hour.
3. Get a chair or something comfortable for you to rest on.
4. Set your alarm to go off in 20 to 30 minutes.
   
5. If you have eyeshades, use them as darkness can help you fall asleep faster.
6. Shut your eyes and try to relax. Hopefully you'll be able to fall asleep.

If the environment is too noisy, consider earplugs or use music to drown out the noise.

In conclusion, a power nap can be useful in helping you get more sleep and rejuvenate your body if conditions permit.

Falling asleep quickly

It's 2AM in the morning and you want to fall asleep but just can't seem to. You toss and turn on your bed but the harder you try, the more awake you seem to become. You've tried everything you can think of and still can't get that rest you so desperately need.

Sounds familiar? Everyone has, at some point in their lives, experienced insomnia. Maybe it's the night before a test, an important business meeting or a job interview. And we all know how frustrating it can be - feeling exhausted and irritated the following day.

Here are some ways to help you fall asleep quickly.

• Medication - I would normally not recommend this as it is not a natural way to fall asleep and thus not good for the body in the long term. Taking sleeping pills can be habit-forming, you build up tolerance quickly and stronger ones leave you sleepy the next morning. However, I have to admit that sleeping pills are one surefire way for you to fall asleep. If all else has failed, then you can use this as a last resort. An exception to this would be Melatonin, which is actually produced by the body naturally as well and is a safe sleep aid you may want to try.
  
• Aromatherapy - I have yet to try this but I've heard that it can produce some good results. Lavender and jasmine essential oils can induce relaxation and a state of restfulness which can aid in falling asleep.
• Music - Listening to soft music can help you to relax and fall asleep. I find classical music to be very relaxing. Don't use headphones as they are unsafe while sleeping, instead, turn on the radio or cd player and tune in to soft, relaxing music.
• Visualization - Picture in your mind a beautiful scenery or landscape. Perhaps a cool, lush waterfall from the amazon rainforests. Or a spectacular breathtaking view of the rockies. Whatever it is, try to make it as vibrant as you can. This can be exhausting mentally and you should soon fall asleep. Contrary to the popular belief, counting sheep doesn't really seem to help much.

Of course, your greatest enemy is frustration. The more worked up you get, the harder it is to fall asleep.

So if you still can't fall asleep, get up from your bed, go to the kitchen and make a glass of warm milk, then get a book and start reading for about 15 minutes. When you begin to feel more relaxed again, you can try to go to sleep again.

Five steps to a better sleep

Today, I will reveal five steps that you can take to get better sleep. After reading the article "Five Reasons to Get Better Sleep" you should be convinced on the benefits of getting better sleep. Even if you aren't convinced, I encourage you to just try them out for a week or two. You'll be surprised at the results - less chronic pain, aches are gone, feeling more alert....

Ready? Here's five tips on how to get better sleep.

1. Beds are for sleeping. Just because it's comfortable or convenient to carry out your daytime activities on your bed doesn't mean you should. This includes eating, watching TV or doing your work. Not only do such activities bring unwanted pencil shavings and bread crumbs, they also cause you to associate the bed with these activities, something that can be very distracting when you want to sleep. In fact, if you're reading this article with your laptop on your bed now, consider moving to the desk before you continue.

2. Don't leave work hanging when you go to sleep. I'm not saying that you finish all your work before you go to bed - that would be difficult at best and impossible for some. Instead, you should have peace in your mind before sleeping. What I mean is that you should stop your work, write down all the things that you have left to do or want to take note of on a piece of paper or a notebook. For instance, if you're waiting for a reply email from your colleague, just write it down so you won't forget it and then don't bother about it until you wake up the next morning. Or if you're halfway arranging the bookshelf, write down the place where you stopped and continue the next day. Worried about something? Write it down to get it off your mind. In this way your mind will be worry-free when you go to bed ensuring a good night's sleep.

3. Maintain a daily routine before you sleep. A good way to get better sleep is to follow a set of rituals before you go to bed. As much as possible, aim to sleep around the same time every day. Consider your ideal amount of sleep, the time you have to wake up, and then plan your bedtime. Try to follow through as much and as often as possible to keep your body clock in sync. About 20 minutes before you sleep, stop your work and start winding down. If you like you could do a little quiet reading of your favorite book or drink some warm milk before you sleep. Try to avoid caffeinated beverages as they tend to keep you alert and make it harder to fall asleep. Warm milk is good as it calms the body.

4. Make your bedroom comfortable. Doing so will improve the quality of sleep. This is a very important factor that tends to be overlooked. The place where you sleep is very important as you will be spending quite a few hours there. Make sure that the room is properly ventilated and not too warm or cold. A good temperature to keep your room at is around 25 degrees Celsius. Again, make sure your bed is free of clutter and the bedsheets are well laid. Change your bedsheets and pillowcases regularly. Doing so will provide a more comfortable and hygienic sleeping environment.

5. Don't stimulate your mind before sleeping. Plan your activities of the day such that you do less stimulating activities before you sleep. This doesn't mean that you just idle your evening away, rather, do activities like folding the clothes or playing the piano. DON'T watch horror movies before you go to bed. Avoid watching action films or playing action games before you sleep, as your mind will be too active to fall asleep.

I hope that with these five tips on how to get better sleep, you will be able to get better sleep and wake up feeling more refreshed. Thank you for stopping by. In the next few articles, I will discuss more on other sleep related topics that can help you improve your quality of sleep.